The train was creeping along through the snow as it was, taking hours to get as far as just outside Salisbury Mills — still in Orange County — and then trees downed by the winter storm damaged a hose under the train, stranding the eight riders and three crew members at 5:40 a.m.

Jersey Transit workers and the Salisbury Mills Fire Department were roused and brought to the train, some of them walking a mile in two feet of snow. An NJT guy crawled under the train — Jimmy Halloran, his name should be recorded — and fixed the hose. They then backed the train up to Station Road, the firemen used a backhoe to clear a path in the snow for passengers to debark, and they were walked to cars and driven to the firehouse for coffee and doughnuts.

MTA staff then drove the passengers to their various destinations, or as close as they could get (one traveler who was headed for Albany was taken to the Poughkeepsie train station). MTA is conducting an investigation.